Dry, chapped lips plague us all. Here are some tricks and tips:

1. Don’t lick your lips!!! It just dries them out further.

2. Sort through the tons of lip balm choices by whether or not you want color or flavor/scent – be careful here, some popular flavors such as peppermint can actually be drying for the lips.

3. Get a lip balm with an emollient. Petrolatum, beeswax, cocoa butter and almond oil are popular emollients in natural or organic lip balms.

4. If you have oily skin, you might want to go for a lip balm with a water-based emollient or glycerin.

5. Sun block for your lips is just as important as for your skin, but don’t lick your lips when wearing an SPF – some SPFs such as Para-aminobenzoic acid can be poisonous if a certain amount is ingested.

6. Don’ worry – you CANNOT become addicted to lip balm, and it DOESN’T make your overall lip condition worse or more dependent on the balm. If you use a lip balm daily, it is most likely that you are so used to your lips feeling smooth and hydrated that you are much more aware and bothered by chapped lips.